Storage-battery



(No Model.)

F. A. LA ROCHE.

STORAGE BATTERY.

No. 496,126. Patented Apr. .25, 1893.

TM: noRms Firms ca. snoaumo., WASHINGTON, n. C

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK A. LA ROCHE, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

STO RAG E-BATTERY.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent NO. 496,126, dated April 25, 1893.

Application filed March 25, 1892. Serial No. 426,448. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Beit known thatLFREDERIcK A.LA ROCHE, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city and county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Storage-Batteries, of which the following is a clear and sufficient specification, reference being had to the drawing annexed.

Among the objects of my invention, are to increase the electro-motive force of the single cell, of the storage battery, and to increase the percentage of return which it givesv for the Work performed upon it in charging. The normal electro-motive force which has been generated by a single cell hitherto has been about 1.7 volts rarely rising to two volts and the maximum return in available work of the work performed was about eighty-five per cent. This low electro-motive force and lack of efficiency of storage batteries hitherto, have hindered greatly the adoption of storage batteries, especially in locomotive structures where economy of space is a requisite. To increase the electro-motive force will enable a proportionately less number of cells to be used, and to increase the efficiency will diminish the cost of operating.

There are other objects of my invention set forth in the remaining portions of my specification.

My invention consists, essentially, in a device by which the gases which are evolved in charging the battery, are held, in part at least, at the poles at which they' are evolved, and under pressure.

The figure is a sectional view of what I consider the best form of device embodying my invention.

I make the containing Walls of the cell A of my battery, in my preferredform, sufficiently strong to sustain a heavy bursting pressure. A very convenient form of doing this is to construct them of iron or other suflciently tenacious substance with a top cover screwed down to close the vessel. This top cover J may be removed to arrange the devices within the cell. I construct the plates C, D, forming the elements of the battery in any convenient manner and secure them in position in any Way that is usual or desirable. The iron or other material forming the covering of the cell will of course be protected by some substance not affected by the battery fluid, if the substance of the cell would be affected thereby. By covering the battery the gases generated will be retained in the space between the fluid and the cover and as the volume of the gases generated increases, the pressureand condensation of the gases increase and some of the gases evolved are retained in the liquid instead of rising out of it.' By this means a greater charge may be given to the battery and a greater per centage of return to be obtained. To collect, however, the gases arising from the decomposition of the battery fluid at the poles of the battery at which these gases are generated, so that each pole will have in electrical connection therewith the gas evolved at it and at it alone, I, in my preferred form of apparatus, separate the negative electrode from the positive by a partition, which allows of communication between the plates either through its porosity or around its edges below the level of the battery liquid. Iprefer, however, to construct it u in the form of a porous cylinder B, open at the bottom and made impervious where it projects above the liquid. This partition retains each gas separately and in communicationwith the electrode at which it was evolved. I can readily attachthis cell to the lid of the cell so that it can be lifted on and off. The construction with the porous cylinder admits also, most readily, of graduating the size of the compartments to the amount of gas to be evolved. As is well known, water when broken up into hydrogen and oxygen, produces one Volume of oxygen to two volumes of hydrogen, and the greater bulk of gas will therefore be collected about the negative pole. I place therefore, in practice, the negative electrode in the outside cell which is most conveniently, made of about double the capacity of the inner. In the inner cell, in practice, I place the positive electrode, about which the oxygen is collected. These gases are collected around elements of the same relation to each other as the gases (the more positive gas being collected about the more positive electrode and vice versa). By collecting the gases which are evolved at the poles and keeping them in electrical coni nection with the poles at which they are evolved and separating the gases from the IOO poles at which they are not evolved, the Work done in evolving them can be largely returned in the efficiency of the battery. More work can be done on a cell, and more of this work returned. By holding the gases under press-4 ure, especially when Yunder elasticv pressure the gases will" not: rise so readily from the liquid and a greater amount of work can be done without the gases coming out ofstheilq,- uid and therefore a greater amount of work can be done on the battery before it is overcharged. By collecting-the 'gasess-eparately,'yI and under pressure these two results are combined. Each cell has a greatly increased electro-motive force and a greater capacity when charged. It. may be.v said with reference to this last, asthebattery is discharged, the ordi naryfactiomof thestorage battery-takes place;

in addition* to,this,an actionof. the gas;lvv-hichl forms5 virtually,a gasr battery, wit-h the addi.- tional electsfproduced" by the compression.

I do not, however, limit?n myself toa batteryin-whichlthe gasesievolved are separat'edfromly eaclr otherfby'a partition,y or. heldiin separate receptacles, as I can: useV advantageously abatteryV iny which' the plates: on yWhichi the activematter is'fplacedl or. formedI are situated: inl the samercomp'artmentor receptacle and@ the gases-retained under pressure.. Neither,- Wherer a storageibatteryisv used, without com-l pressiony inv which. the` ,(,gasesevolved` arefac-v cumulatedinseparate vesselsdn electric con-` nectionwiththe leadsicff thefbatteryywill@ the device beoutside myinventiongsincewli claim that lI am: the-:first y person,` not onlyI tovmaintain; the l gases: evolvedJ in: charging storage batteries inelectrical communication with tlie^leadsotl the battery underelastic press-` ure but toutilize' these gasesatlall to increase-` the elciency ot the.storageubattery,-and that I amthe Iirstto-utilize elastic pressure.

Whats ll claim',therefore,and` desire to se- `f cure: by Letters Patent,.is-

1. In a storage battery, acelll electrodes and battery liquid in combination-with@recepta cle, inclosing one ofthe electrodes abovethej battery liquid and having the portionsbelow the liquidf'levelporous and' the portions abovei the levelofithebattery liquid" impervious toi the gases generated in the battery substantially as described.

2. In a storage batter a'cell electrodes and `battery liquid in combination with an interior cell containing one of the electrodes, and inclosingl it.above the liquid and impervious to the gases generated' in the battery at the parts above the liquid, substantially as de- Iscribed;A y

3. The combination with the battery liquid and plates of a storage battery of a containing cell hermetically sealed by a cover, a `cover5a porous cylinder surrounding one of said plates, attached to the cover of said containing cell and means for securingthe cover lon the containing cell substantially as d`e scribed.

inclosing: the platesV and fluidl and separate receptacles in which=the plates aref placedA in'- themythe plates and@ gaseszof onepoIa-rity being separated bythe-,instru mentality off said receptacles from, the plates and gasesof the other'polarity substantially asdescribed.

5. The combinatieniof alliermetically sealed containing vessel, divided'by-` ay diaphragm, a plate chargeable `positively in one oftheA com- `partments:formed byvsaid diaphragmI af-plate tricallly connected to` said plates and abattery ii'uidl substantially as described.v

6i The'com'bination iniastoragefbatteryin which-'1 the lgases generated areeret'ained under plate ati which thesameiwere:generatedgwith viding the -vesselintoparts corresponding apstantially asldescribed.

fInwitness'wliereofi If have hereto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing w-it'- messes.l I l FREDERICKA. LA Roon-E'.

Witnesses:A

MARKV WInKs COLLET,v A; H. RICHARDSON 4f. Inlazstorage b attery,a` cell hermetically closingsaid-.plates and gases generatedlaround? chargeableY negatively intleiother; leads elec- Apressure-andinl` electricalconnectionwith theV theA sealedL con tainingfvessel, afdiaphragm di-V proximately'to ther volumes-off gases"l gener-V ated-ac thefd'ifferent poles-ot the batterysub 

